This study comes into the “more proof that we are indeed social animals and without supportive relationships, we’re in trouble” category. The researchers found that those who struggle in social situations may be at greater risk for mental and physical health problems.… [read more]

I have seen a lot of interesting studies on the science of ethics recently, but this one really caught my eye.

What the researchers say:

The new study shows that people who perceive their employer as committed to environmental and community-based causes will, in turn, engage in green behavior and local volunteerism, with one caveat: their immediate boss must display similarly ethical behavior.… [read more]

” You’ve all heard of Signal Detection Theory (SDT), right? Probably not unless you’re a psychologist specializing in non-human animal behavior. SDT is a well-established idea that has influenced behavioral science for around 50 years. Essentially, the theory holds that in a predator-prey relationship, prey animals will show more wariness and be more prone to flee as predators become more common.… [read more]

Alicia and I have been doing a lot of research into and teaching about workplace empowerment recently. A ton of research has shown, for example, that empowered employees are more productive, proactive and have a greater sense of well-being. Now it would seem that they can be empowered, or at least proactive, even when they don’t trust their leaders.… [read more]

Most organizations are, in many ways, stuck in a rut—as are most individual workers. Humans are programmed to resist change, in the same way we are programmed to resist physical and emotional pain. So how do you become motivated to change your behavior or the behavior of others?… [read more]

Burnout is one of the most pressing problems facing professionals of all kinds. We are constantly being asked to do more with fewer resources to try to grasp an increasing share of an ever-decreasing economic pie for our employers. This pressure will continue for the foreseeable future.… [read more]

Neanderthals had larger brains than modern humans do, and a new study of a Neanderthal child’s skeleton now suggests this is because their brains spent more time growing.
Modern humans are known for having unusually large brains for their size. It takes a lot of energy to develop such large brains, and previous research suggested that the high cost of modern-human brain development was a key reason why human growth, in general, is slow compared with that of other primates.… [read more]